Prevue July-August 2017 - 20

Below (l-r): Savannah Trolley tour (photo credit: Visit Savannah)
New Learning Center in the Portland Japanese Garden (photo credit: Bruce Forster)

meeting and incentive groups should expect
to experience more than a few "firsts."
Draft teas on tap are hot at Steven Smith
Teamaker's original tasting room, where
groups of up to 12 sip on concoctions from
within the charming ambience of a former
blacksmith's shop. On the opposite side
of the city in the Industrial District, a new
13,000-sf Steven Smith Teamaker's venue,
twice the size of the original, is now open
to groups of up to 50 for tastings, offering
a more innovative (and transformative) tea
experience via a tea lab and tea garden
for sommelier-led flight tastings, and a
Maker's Series, or creative fusions between
Smith's head tea master and a local
maker. Russian tea service in the historic
Heathman Hotel's revamped Tea Court
Lounge was a recent result of the series,
though the collaborative blends are also
available on-site. Tea-based spirits and
digestifs are on the menu at Townshend's
Tea Company, which also offers a new
botanical twist on traditional Italian Fernet
by integrating Douglas fir, birch bark and
Willamette hops, among other things.
Coffee and spirit blends are the latest
trend, while artisan confectioners are also
adding new secrets to the sauce. Alma
Chocolate's whiskey caramel sauce has
been given a healthy dose of local House
Spirits Distillery whiskey and a lavender
version floated into the mix thanks to
Salem's Sundance Lavender Farm.
When it comes to architecting
transformative F&B, the role of the venue
cannot be underestimated. The Portland
Japanese Garden's new Cultural Village
delivers the "wow" with three new LEED
Gold-certified buildings for intimate group
functions. After walking through a mystic
gate that emulates Japan's monzenmachi,
the gates that surround sacred shrines
and temples, attendees can peruse art
installations and partake in horticultural
classes, traditional Japanese tea and music
demonstrations.

SAVANNAH
Savannah puts the accolade of having
the "largest National Historic Landmark
District" to work throughout the year. The

20 | prevuemeetings.com

Britain's "Year of Literary Heroes" theme explores
the senses and new sensibilities for meetings and
incentives as well.
city's Revolutionary and Civil War landmarks
and spooky attributes (including the "Most
Haunted City in America" title) draw curious
groups from the shadows every year. More
recently, its culinary flair has hit the fan,
enticing groups to nosh their way through
the city's history. They can do so at the newly
opened American Prohibition Museum,
the first of its kind in the US, which also
features a speakeasy with 1920s cocktails.
The annual fall Savannah Food &
Wine Festival winds through the Historic
District next to the Savannah River with
master classes, celebrity chef dinners and
cookbook signings, community-centric
outdoor feasts and tasting events. A new
VIP Lounge, private tent and bars will also

offer a catered gourmet experience, while
a "secret" Savannah speakeasy will feature
handcrafted local cocktails and craft brews,
and entertainment reminiscent of the city's
prohibition days. Attendees can start the
journey by grabbing a souvenir glass (and
filling it up with wine, spirits and Belgian
beer) for a stroll along River Street and its
century-old buildings that house galleries,
boutiques, pubs and restaurants.
Along the way, drop by the rooftop
bar at the 160-suite Homewood Suites
by Hilton Savannah Historic District/
Riverfront for a craft beer or shipyard
margarita. The newly opened hotel is
housed in a 19th century cotton warehouse.
Groups will also pass (by Segway if they'd
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue July-August 2017
